The inspiration behind the smart waste segregator project is to make waste management more efficient and simpler, making the job of waste collectors easier.
The smart waste segregator separates the waste into metal waste, plastic waste, wet waste and dry waste. First, we show the waste at an ultrasonic sensor near the opening of the segregator. The sensor will sense and the waste segregator opens the opening. The waste is put into it. It will reach into a box which contains sensors and the box is connected to a rotatable arm which help to move the waste to corresponding sections. The induction proximity sensor is used for sensing metal waste, capacitive proximity sensor is for sensing plastic waste, rain sensor is for wet waste, and the ultrasonic sensor is for dry waste. Whenever the first 3 sensors are not sensed we can make sure that the waste is included in the corresponding category. The ultrasonic sensor senses all the waste inside it. In this case, the other sensors are not responding. So, here this case will only come for dry waste. The sensors are prioritized to ensure that waste separation occurs correctly. It is in the order of inductive proximity sensor, capacitive proximity sensor, rain sensor, and ultrasonic sensor. There are separate boxes for each type of waste. When the waste is sensed the arm moves toward the box which has the corresponding waste. When it reaches there, the under part of the box which is connected to the arm is opened, then the waste falls into it. After that, the under-opening will be closed and the arm will return to its initial position. There is an ultrasonic sensor at the top of each box that has different waste so that it will sense whether it will fill up or not and the segregator sends an SMS to mobile and shows the indication on it by turning ON the corresponding LED.
We use two microcontrollers, Arduino Uno and NodeMCU. Arduino Uno for the working of the segregator and NodeMCU helps to send SMS by interfacing with the GSM module. At the centre top, just below the covering of the segregator, we fixed a Nema 17 stepper motor by giving support from the bottom. On the rotating rod of the motor, we fix another rod perpendicular to it. At the other end of the rod, we connect a box in which the waste is first reached and its type is specified as the sensors are inside the box. At the bottom of the box, a structure for opening and closing is placed which is connected to a servo motor and attached to the outer part of the box. The opening of the segregator comes just above the box at its default position. The microcontrollers are placed above the segregator.
The main challenge is the segregator can't segregate different kinds of waste simultaneously.
We learned to interface the GSM module with NodeMCU, the working principle of the sensors used in it.
The improvements we wish to introduce in the segregator are:
- Make the segregator capable of segregating different kinds of waste simultaneously.
- Create a centralized network connection to monitor different waste segregated at same time.
- Integrate the waste segregator into solar chargeable which is placed outdoors.
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